Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

A Reminder To Investors

blog.ycombinator.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

71–80 of 290 posts

Re: A Reminder To Investors

#71

Post by minimaxir »

avalaunch wrote: post #65

>Y Combinator has a zero tolerance policy for inappropriate sexual or romantic behavior from investors toward founders. This implies that some sexual or romantic behavior from investors toward founders would be considered appropriate. If that's not the intended message, inappropriate should be replaced with something like 'any and all'. While I'm not in any startup circles at the moment I would be curious for some cl…

> This implies that some sexual or romantic behavior from investors toward founders would be considered appropriate.

No it doesn't. Grammatically, the "inappropriate" is used for vocal emphasis.

Re: A Reminder To Investors

#72

Post by geuis »

ctide wrote: post #58

If you don't understand why this needs to be done, you're part of the problem. If you think romantic overtures as an investor to a founder is 'ok', or should be ok, you're part of the problem. EDIT: For those of you who think this is too harsh, you're proving my point. Sexism in tech will start to become less of a problem once people recognize that it's an issue. If you don't think it's an issue -- you're part of the…

Your first sentence is a bit off. I for one didn't know this needed to be done. I was under the general impression that investors that work with YC were high caliber and professional. It never crossed my mind that anyone associated with YC would be anything but that. Sad that my high level of expectations are so obviously wrong.

Re: A Reminder To Investors

#73

Post by ZoF »

angersock wrote: post #43
lisper wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's important to understand WHY this is so: if you're an investor you are in a position of power over a founder. It is not possible in such a situation to make a romantic overture that is not tainted by the possibility that you are looking for a quid-pro-quo even if in fact you are not.

You know, I'm rather surprised that there hasn't/isn't a fund or group set up explicitly for that purpose--just being up front that yeah, there's tit-for-tat, if you want funding you may have to deal with this nonsense. I further wonder how close that would skirt the lines of laws against prostitution. I imagine such a thing would be amazingly toxic and hopefully collapse into a vortex of bad. EDIT: It's an offensive…

It sounds like your saying, "Why isn't there a VC firm that states outright you might be sexually harassed to receive funding"

How are you possibly surprised that isn't a thing...? Of course it's not and never could or should be. You're comment is being down-voted because it's pretty ridiculous; the extremely low possibility(non-existant) coupled with the offensive nature of the concept as a whole makes it mind-boggling that someone would even consider it worth pondering in the first place.

Re: A Reminder To Investors

#74

Post by VWQWrT »

untog wrote: post #39
obvious_throw wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"all the time" in the mind of Shanley Kane, et. al. Disclaimers like these are mainly CYA statements such that the rabid hordes of social justice warriors don't throw Y Combinator under the bus on Pando because of a disgruntled founder looking to capitalize on feels where capitalizing on actual talent or acumen failed.

Sigh. Let me guess - you're a white dude, aren't you? Of course you don't see this happening. Of course you don't see discrimination in the workplace. Maybe - just for once - accept that the people who actually do face this stuff are telling you that it does happen, and that we should do something about it. Maybe try listening to a perspective - any one will do, really - that is different from your own.

That is so racist and discriminatory I don't even know where to start. It's no different than to assume the worst of "black" people or women.

The worst part it is the way it has become acceptable to bash "white dudes" for the color of their skins and/or their gender.

Re: A Reminder To Investors

#75

Post by mtrimpe »

gadders wrote: post #34
tptacek wrote: post #4

Such a simple thing to write, but so useful. Waiting excitedly to see who else will follow suit. Good call.

Is it a big problem then? I'm waaaay out of start up circles so I'm surprised it even needs to be stated.

There are always 'circles' where this is considered appropriate behaviour.

In the fashion world there are a few photographers which almost openly do this, known to us mostly because they got so used to it they put their dick in a girls mouth unannounced and rather than suck it she talked to the press about it. [1]

An old colleague worked at an IT company thirty years or so ago and on the upper management floor, as he described it, the secretaries were all paid $200k/yr and up to be, essentially, professional hookers.

It is almost certainly a problem in some circles in the tech investors industry as well.

This is just a, very welcome, statement to tell investors that if they want to be such an investor they'll be locked out of YC forever and to tell founders that they can expect to be backed up when they report this.

[1] http://jezebel.com/i-felt-a-dick-pressing-into-my-face-terry...

Re: A Reminder To Investors

#76

Post by swombat »

avalaunch wrote: post #65

>Y Combinator has a zero tolerance policy for inappropriate sexual or romantic behavior from investors toward founders. This implies that some sexual or romantic behavior from investors toward founders would be considered appropriate. If that's not the intended message, inappropriate should be replaced with something like 'any and all'. While I'm not in any startup circles at the moment I would be curious for some cl…

Is it ever acceptable for an investor to pursue a romantic relationship with a founder? After the founder is funded (by another investor), for example. Or if the founder initiates?

As a founder and MD of a company, quite simply, the answer is a bold NO.

Most of the opposite gender population is outside your company (or pool of possible investments). If you feel the urge, fish there, not in the tiny pond which you have a weird power relationship with. Getting romantically involved with people inside your company or which you're considering for investment is reprehensibly bad judgement as an owner or anyone in a position of authority and should obviously look like a Really Bad Idea (tm) to you if you are in that position of authority.

It's a bit like the old "should a teacher date a student" chestnut. Whether or not the student "initiates" is irrelevant. Just stay away from it, it's a terrible idea. If the founder/student "initiates", then they are the one acting inappropriately, and your thought should not be "hmm, maybe I should go along", it should be "oh shit, this could be a big problem, how do I get out of this tactfully?"

Re: A Reminder To Investors

#77

Post by impendia »

ctide wrote: post #58

If you don't understand why this needs to be done, you're part of the problem. If you think romantic overtures as an investor to a founder is 'ok', or should be ok, you're part of the problem. EDIT: For those of you who think this is too harsh, you're proving my point. Sexism in tech will start to become less of a problem once people recognize that it's an issue. If you don't think it's an issue -- you're part of the…

In my opinion this is overly harsh.

I would revise to: If you don't understand why this needs to be done, you should read more and learn more until you do understand.

Re: A Reminder To Investors

#79

Post by bdcravens »

highCs wrote: post #64

While everybody can understand the anger, the bad behaviors of some individuals must not be generalized to a profession, can it? Maybe "Demo Day attendees" would be more appropriate than investors.

Professional athletes and drug use. Police officers and violence. Clergy and child sexual abuse. As a percentage, those situations are extreme minorities, but it's important to aggressively address serious issues that exist in an industry, and not shy away for fear of generalizing.

Re: A Reminder To Investors

#80

Post by jonnathanson »

avalaunch wrote: post #65

>Y Combinator has a zero tolerance policy for inappropriate sexual or romantic behavior from investors toward founders. This implies that some sexual or romantic behavior from investors toward founders would be considered appropriate. If that's not the intended message, inappropriate should be replaced with something like 'any and all'. While I'm not in any startup circles at the moment I would be curious for some cl…

"This implies that some sexual or romantic behavior from investors toward founders would be considered appropriate."

That's a stretch. I think most reasonable individuals reading the statement would conclude that "inappropriate" is an emphatic descriptor, and not a categorical divider.

Post reply on HN